Kimberlite based plant nutrient and preparation thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to provides novel fertilizer products from Kimberlite having utility as nutrients to supply silica, magnesium, trace elements with or without organic substances, and also having scope to design products with various combinations with other fertilizers and/or plant based nutrients with or without nano structure.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent document claims the benefit of priority to IndianPatent Application No. 1026/CHE/2009, filed Nov. 4, 2009, and to IndianPatent Application No. 2844/CHE/2010, filed Sep. 27, 2010, the entirecontents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

In general, this invention relates to the field of material sciences. Inparticular, this invention pertains to production of fertilizers fromKimberlite. This invention also relates to a method of manufacturingfertilizer products from Kimberlite having applications in the field ofagriculture. Further, In particular this invention pertains to produce anovel plant nutrient by nano structuring kimberlite. This nanostructured kimberlite based plant nutrient is useful to enhance the cropyield significantly.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART OF THE INVENTION

It is known that diamonds are formed when carbon deposits are exposed tohigh pressure and temperature for prolonged periods. Deep within theearth, there are regions that are at a high enough temperature andpressure that the formation of diamonds is thermo dynamically possible.Under the continental crust, diamonds from starting at depths of about90 miles where pressure is roughly 5 giga pascals and the temperature isaround 2200° Fahrenheit. Diamonds are mined in ‘kimberlite pipe’.Kimberlite is an ultra potassic, ultra mafic, igneous rock composed ofgarnet, olivine, phlogopite, and pyroxene with a variety of other traceminerals. Kimberlite occurs in the earth's crust in vertical structuresknown as Kimberlite pipes. India is host to the largest known number ofProterozoic Kimberlite clan rocks.

A large amount of Kimberlite is required to produce a carat of diamond.Few tones are required to yield a carat of diamond. Large amount ofKimberlite after removal of diamond is available around the globewithout any appropriate utility. Kimberlite contains magnesium, tracemetals and silica in rich proportions. Therefore, present inventionobjective is to invent method of producing Kimberlite based fertilizersFurther, it is observed that many plant nutrients were known, howeververy less attention has been directed to enhance the nutrient absorptioncapability by nano structuring the plant nutrients. Nano science hasfound applications in controlling release of nitrogen, zeoponics andusing of some materials like zeolite based substrates. With nanofertilizers emerging as alternatives to conventional fertilizers buildupof nutrients in soils and there by eutrophication and drinking watercontamination may be eliminated. In fact nano technology has opened upnew opportunities to improve nutrient efficiency and minimize costs ofenvironmental protection. It has helped to divulge that plant roots candirectly absorb nutrient ions from solid phase of minerals. Presentresearch is further aimed to produce nano structured Kimberlite basedplant nutrient that has utility to enhance crop yields. The kimberlitetailings after removal of diamonds were taken in present invention.

OBJECTIVES

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to inventfertilizers products from Kimberlite which can be used as fertilizer.

Another object of an embodiment of this invention is to developproduction method of Kimberlite based fertilizer products.

Yet another objective of an embodiment of this invention is to inventKimberlite based products with organic nature.

Still another objective of an embodiment of this invention is to providea necessary method for production of organic based Kimberlite products.

Yet another objective of an embodiment of the present invention is toprovide nano structured kimberlite based plant nutrient to enhance cropyields and method for preparing the same.

SUMMARY

To meet the above objects and others, one embodiment of the presentinvention provides novel fertilizer products from Kimberlite havingutility as nutrients to supply silica, magnesium, trace elements with orwithout organic substances, and also having scope to design productswith various combinations with other fertilizers and/or plant basednutrients. Particularly, another embodiment of the present inventionrelates to a plant nutrient composition comprising: a first componentcomprising kimberlite with alkali metal silicate in the ratio of 10:1 to1:10 w/v; and/or a second component comprising lignite with alkali metalsilicate in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; wherein the ratio between thefirst and the second component is in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 on aweight by weight basis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1-5 relates to comparative FTIR analysis of Type 1 & 1a: Kimberlitesolid (example-10), Type 2 & 2a: 9:3/5% solid (example-4), Type 3 & 3a:9:3/K—Si solid (example-9), Type 4 & 4a: 9:3 (3 parts are from thealkali extraction from lignite residue), Type 5 & 5a: Kimberlite+K—Si(example-7).

FIG. 6-10 relates to comparative XRD analysis of Type 6: Kimberlitesolid (example-10), Type 7: 9:3/5% solid (example-4), Type 8: 9:3/K—Sisolid (example-9), Type 9: 9:3 (3 parts are from the alkali extractionfrom lignite residue), Type 10: Kimberlite+K—Si (example-7).

FIG. 11-14 relates to comparative FTIR analysis of Type 11 & 11a:Kimberlite 9:3/5% liquid (example-4), Type 12 & 12a: 9:3/K—Si liquid(example-9), Type 13 & 13a: 9:3 (3 parts are from the alkali extractionfrom lignite 1:4 residue liquid), Type 14 & 14a: Kimberlite+K—Si/liquid(example-7) (5 gm of kimberlite fertilizer/silica fertilizer mixed with40 ml distill water and the mixture is stirred at 3000 rpm for 20-30minutes, and the resultant solution (supernatant)) is taken for FTIRanalysis).

FIG. 15 shows the image of Scanning Electron Microscopy of nanostructured Kimberlite, wherein Nano Particles ranging from 75 to 250nanometers

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific aspects thereof has been shown by way ofexample in the illustrative examples and will be described in detailbelow. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limitthe invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

Before describing in detail embodiments it may be observed that thenovelty and inventive step that are in accordance with the presentinvention resides in an efficient plant nutrient obtained from thekimberlite, whereby a first component comprising kimberlite with alkalimetal silicate in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; and/or a secondcomponent comprising lignite with alkali metal silicate in the ratio of10:1 to 1:10 w/v; wherein the ratio between the first and the secondcomponent is in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight by weight basis.It is to be noted that a person skilled in the art can be motivated fromthe present invention and modify application of the said nutrient fromcrop to crop. However, such modification should be construed within thescope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the examples are showingonly those specific details that are pertinent to understanding theaspects of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosurewith details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art having benefit of the description herein.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof,are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup,device that comprises a list of components does not include only thosecomponents but may include other components not expressly listed orinherent to such setup or device. In other words, one or more elementsin a plant nutrient or method proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not,without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements oradditional elements in the composition or method. The followingparagraphs explain present invention with respect to an efficient plantnutrient comprising kimberlite based plant nutrient, wherein the saidplant nutrient with or without alkali solution is treated with alkalimetal silicate for utilization as nutrient to supply silica, silica,magnesium, trace elements with or without organic substances, and alsohaving scope to design products with various combinations with otherfertilizers and/or plant based nutrients.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention relates to a plantnutrient composition comprising: a first component comprising kimberlitewith alkali metal silicate in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; and/or asecond component comprising lignite with alkali silicate in the ratio of10:1 to 1:10 w/v; wherein the ratio between the first and the secondcomponent is in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight by weight basis.

Another aspect of the present invention wherein a plant nutrientcomposition comprising a first component comprising kimberlite withlignite in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; a second component comprisingurea with alkali solution in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; wherein theratio between the first and the second component is in the range of 10:1to 1:10 on a weight by volume basis.

Yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein a plant nutrientcomposition comprising: a first component comprising nano sizekimberlite with alkali metal silicate in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v;and/or a second component comprising lignite with alkali metal silicatein the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; wherein the ratio between the firstand the second component is in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight byweight basis.

Yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein a plant nutrientcomposition comprising a first component comprising nano size kimberlitewith lignite in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; a second componentcomprising urea with alkali solution in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v;wherein the ratio between the first and the second component is in therange of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight by volume basis.

Still another aspect of the present invention relates to a process forpreparing the plant nutrient composition, said process comprising thesteps:

-   -   a) subjecting kimberlite to a micronization process to obtain        micronized kimberlite and adding alkali metal silicate to the        micronized kimberlite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a        first component;    -   b) subjecting lignite to a micronization process to obtain        micronized lignite and adding alkali metal silicate to the        micronized lignite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a second        component;    -   c) mixing thoroughly the first component and second component in        the range of 10:1 to 1:10 along with water in the range of 100        ml to 1000 ml and thus obtained slurry of the mixture,    -   d) drying the slurry thus obtained in step (c) to a palletizing        or a powdering procedure to obtain the plant nutrient        composition

A further another aspect of the present invention, wherein a process forpreparing the plant nutrient composition comprising the steps:

-   -   a) subjecting kimberlite and lignite to a micronization process        to obtain micronized kimberlite and lignite, and mixing the        micronized kimberlite and lignite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to        obtain a first component;    -   b) subjecting mixture of step (a) with urea and alkaline        solution as a second component to obtain a reaction mixture;    -   c) adding water to the reaction mixture thus obtained in        step (b) in the range of 100 ml to 1000 ml and mixing thoroughly        the first component and second component in the range of 10:1 to        1:10 w/v, in order to obtain slurry of the mixture,    -   d) drying the slurry thus obtained in step (c) to a palletizing        or a powdering procedure to obtain the-plant nutrient        composition

Yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein a process forpreparing the plant nutrient composition as claimed in claim 3, saidprocess comprising the steps:

-   -   a) subjecting kimberlite to a nano size process to obtain nano        size kimberlite and adding alkali metal silicate to the nano        size kimberlite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a first        component;    -   b) subjecting lignite to a nano size process to obtain nano size        lignite and adding alkali metal silicate to the nano size        lignite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a second component;    -   c) mixing thoroughly the first component and second component in        the range of 10:1 to 1:10 along with water in the range of 100        ml to 1000 ml and thus obtained slurry of the mixture,    -   d) drying the slurry thus obtained in step (c) to a palletizing        or a powdering procedure to obtain the-plant nutrient        composition

Yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein a process forpreparing the plant nutrient composition as claimed in claim 4, saidprocess comprising the steps:

-   -   a) subjecting kimberlite and lignite to a nano size process to        obtain nano size kimberlite and lignite, and mixing the nano        size kimberlite and lignite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain        a first component;    -   b) subjecting mixture of step (a) with urea and alkaline        solution as a second component to obtain a reaction mixture;    -   c) adding water to the reaction mixture thus obtained in        step (b) in the range of 100 ml to 1000 ml and mixing thoroughly        the first component and second component in the range of 10:1 to        1:10 w/v, in order to obtain slurry of the mixture,    -   d) drying the slurry thus obtained in step (c) to a palletizing        or a powdering procedure to obtain the-plant nutrient        composition

Yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein the alkali metalsilicate are sodium silicate, potassium silicate and mixture thereof.

Yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein the kimberlitebased plant nutrient is use as at basel as a atopdressing with orwithout other plant nutrients.

One of the aspects of the present invention relates to provide a nanostructured kimberlite based plant nutrient that can be absorbed by plantroots more efficiently.

Yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein the Alkali (SodiumHydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide or Ammonia etc.) to Kimberlite wasadded at a ratio of 1:3 to 1:50 (w/w). The mixture of alkali andkimberlite was blended by grinding properly, then water was addedappropriately to mix thoroughly. The resultant material was mixed withalkali metal silicate for usage as the fertilizer.

Nitric Acid or Phosphoric Acid was added to Kimberlite (5 to 50% v/w)and later neutralizing with alkali (Sodium Hydroxide or PotassiumHydroxide or Ammonia etc.) was done.

The Kimberlite was mixed with alkali metal silicate and having utilityas filler material with other fertilizers such as DAP and othersingle-direct and/or complex fertilizers of NPK.

Lignite was added to Kimberlite at a ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 and lateralkali was added to the mixture of lignite and kimberlite at a ratio of1:3 to 1:50 (w/w) along with urea in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10. Theresultant mixture of alkali, lignite-kimberlite and urea was blended bygrinding properly, then water was added appropriately to mix thoroughly.

When kimberlite based fertilizer products were tested on variousagricultural crops enhanced yields significantly. When silicasupplementation has been done through these kimberlite based products,on crops, it imparted resistance to diseases apart from yieldenhancement.

Present invention explains production of various types of Kimberlitebased fertilizer products for enhancement of yield of variousagricultural crops.

The results derived from embodiments of the present invention gives ascope of using Kimberlite based fertilizer products for effective andeconomic integrated fertilizer management.

This invention has been explained by way of few examples and is notrestricted to various combinations and feasibilities of the basicaspect.

Now embodiments of the invention will be described in detail so as toillustrate and explain various salient features of the invention.

For the purpose of this desciption, kimberlite is basically obtainedafter removing of few carats of diamonds from tons of kimberlite. Hence,the inventors are utilizing in the experiments, the massive amount ofkimberlite which has been accumulated after removal of diamonds, as auseful plant nutrient.

Example: 1-3

In order to prepare an efficient plant nutrient, 900 gm of kimberlite,100 grams of lignite was added and mixed thoroughly. Urea and KOH wereadded to the above mixture (as shown in above table) and mixedthoroughly. Water was added to the mixture and mixed thoroughly to getbrown color paste. Product was dried at 70-90° C. to remove moisture.The product was pulverized to get the powder of desired size.

Table 1 show the study of the various experimental trials for thepreparation of the plant nutrient, wherein the kimberlite is added withlignite in 9:1 proportion with alkali hydroxide and urea.

TABLE 1 Constituents Ex-1 (V1) Ex-2 (V2) Ex-3 (V3) Kimberlite 900 g 900900 Lignite 100 g 100 100 KOH  53 g (5%) 112 (10%) 250 (20%) Urea  55 g(5%)  59 (5%)  66 (5%) Utilities 350 ml 300 ml 170 ml Water

In order to prepare an efficient plant nutrient, 900 gm of kimberlite,and 300 grams of lignite was added and mixed thoroughly. Urea and KOHwere added to the above mixture (as shown in above table) and mixedthoroughly. Water was added to the mixture and mixed thoroughly to getbrown color paste. Product was dried at 70-90° C. to remove moisture.The product was pulverized to get the powder of desired size.

Table 2 show the study of the various experimental trials for thepreparation of the plant nutrient, wherein the kimberlite is added withlignite in 9:3 proportions with alkali hydroxide and urea.

This Product [V2] Resulted in Enhanced Yield More than 25% on GroundnutCrop and VI Product Resulted in 24% Enhanced Yield in Groundnut.

Preparation of Organic Silica Fertilizer 9:3

TABLE 2 Reagents Ex-4 (V1) Ex-5 (V2) Ex-6 (V3) Kimberlite 900 g 900 900Lignite 300 g 300 300 KOH  63 g (5%) 133 (10%) 300 (20%) Urea  67 g (5%) 70 (5%)  79 (5%) Utilities 700 ml 750 ml 400 ml Water

Example 7

To 900 gm of kimberlite, 300 ml of potassium silicate [20-24%silica/10-12% potassium] was added and mix thoroughly. Water was addedto the mixture and mixed thoroughly. Product was dried at 70-90° C. toremove moisture. The product was pulverized to get the powder of desiredsize. This product resulted in enhanced yield more than 29% on ricecrop.

Example 8

To 900 gm of lignite, 300 ml of potassium silicate [20-24% silica/10-12%potassium] was added and mix thoroughly. Water was added to the mixtureand mixed thoroughly. Product was dried at 70-90° C. to remove moisture.The product was pulverized to get the powder of desired size. Thisproduct resulted in enhanced yield more than 15% on rice crop.

Example 9

To 900 gm of kimberlite, 300 ml of potassium silicate [20-24%silica/10-12% potassium] was added and mix thoroughly. [A]

To 300 gms of lignite powder, was added to 100 ml of Potassium Silicateand mix thoroughly [B]

To above two mixtures [A+B] after mixing, 1000 ml of water was added andmixed thoroughly to get brown color paste.

Product was dried at 70-90° C. to remove moisture. The product waspulverized to get the powder of desired size. This product resulted inenhanced yield more than 25% on rice crop.

Example 10

100 gms of soil was mixed with 50 ml of water and after mixing themwell, 5 grams of nano structured kimberlite was added to the soil andthoroughly mixed. The nano size is 75 nm/100 nm/150 nm/200 nm/250 nm.

Whereas, in control 5 grams of natural kimberlite, without grinding (0.1to 3 mm size) was added to 100 grams of soil with 50 ml of water andthoroughly mixed. After 24 hours the soluble silica content wasestimated from these treated and controlled samples. It is found thatnano structured kimberlite based plant nutrient has potential ofreleasing 70% more soluble silica into the soil system than compared tonormal kimberlite or micron sized (0.1-3 mm size).

The product of examples 1 to 8 is converted into the nano size powderand kimberlite based fertilizer products were tested on variousagricultural crops. Kimberlite based fertilizer is nano structured byphysical grinding repeatedly and after grading by passing throughvarious sizes of meshes and with final confirmation after microscopicexamination.

It is found that yield of the crops increases significantly in the rangeof 5 to 25%, while using nano size kimberlite.

The embodiments described above and shown herein are illustrative andnot restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the claimsrather than by the foregoing description and attached drawings. Theinvention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. Accordingly, these and any other changeswhich come within the scope of the claims are intended to be embracedtherein.

1. A plant nutrient composition comprising a first component comprisingkimberlite with alkali metal silicate in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v;and a second component comprising lignite with alkali metal silicate inthe ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; wherein the ratio between the first andthe second components is in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight byweight basis.
 2. A plant nutrient composition comprising a firstcomponent comprising kimberlite with lignite in the ratio of 10:1 to1:10 w/v; and a second component comprising urea with alkali solution inthe ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; wherein the ratio between the first andthe second components is in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight byvolume basis.
 3. A plant nutrient composition comprising a firstcomponent comprising nano size kimberlite with alkali metal silicate inthe ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; and a second component comprising nanosize lignite with alkali metal silicate in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10w/v; wherein the ratio between the first and the second components is inthe range of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight by weight basis.
 4. A plantnutrient composition comprising a first component comprising nano sizekimberlite with lignite in the ratio of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v; and a secondcomponent comprising urea with alkali solution in the ratio of 10:1 to1:10 w/v; wherein the ratio between the first and the second componentsis in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 on a weight by volume basis.
 5. Aprocess for preparing the plant nutrient composition as claimed in claim1, said process comprising the steps: a) subjecting kimberlite to amicronization process to obtain micronized kimberlite and adding alkalimetal silicate to the micronized kimberlite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 toobtain a first component; b) subjecting lignite to a micronizationprocess to obtain micronized lignite and adding alkali metal silicate tothe micronized lignite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a secondcomponent; c) mixing thoroughly the first component and second componentin the range of 10:1 to 1:10 along with water to obtain a slurry of themixture; and d) drying the slurry thus obtained in step (c) to apelletizing or a powdering procedure to obtain the plant nutrientcomposition.
 6. A process for preparing the plant nutrient compositionas claimed in claim 2, said process comprising the steps: a) subjectingkimberlite and lignite to a micronization process to obtain micronizedkimberlite and lignite, and mixing the micronized kimberlite and lignitein the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a first component; b) subjectingmixture of step (a) with urea and alkaline solution as a secondcomponent to obtain a reaction mixture; c) adding water to the reactionmixture thus obtained in step (b) and mixing thoroughly the firstcomponent and second component in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 w/v, inorder to obtain slurry of the mixture; and d) drying the slurry thusobtained in step (c) to a pelletizing or a powdering procedure to obtainthe plant nutrient composition.
 7. A process for preparing the plantnutrient composition as claimed in claim 3, said process comprising thesteps: a) subjecting kimberlite to a nano size process to obtain nanosize kimberlite and adding alkali metal silicate to the nano sizekimberlite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a first component; b)subjecting lignite to a nano size process to obtain nano size ligniteand adding alkali metal silicate to the nano size lignite in the ratio10:1 to 1:10 to obtain a second component; c) mixing thoroughly thefirst component and second component in the range of 10:1 to 1:10 alongwith water to obtain a slurry of the mixture; and d) drying the slurrythus obtained in step (c) to a pelletizing or a powdering procedure toobtain the plant nutrient composition.
 8. A process for preparing theplant nutrient composition as claimed in claim 4, said processcomprising the steps: a) subjecting kimberlite and lignite to a nanosize process to obtain nano size kimberlite and lignite, and mixing thenano size kimberlite and lignite in the ratio 10:1 to 1:10 to obtain afirst component; b) subjecting mixture of step (a) with urea andalkaline solution as a second component to obtain a reaction mixture; c)adding water to the reaction mixture thus obtained in step (b) andmixing thoroughly the first component and second component in the rangeof 10:1 to 1:10 w/v, in order to obtain slurry of the mixture; and d)drying the slurry thus obtained in step (c) to a pelletizing or apowdering procedure to obtain the plant nutrient composition.
 9. Theplant nutrient composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alkalimetal silicate is selected from the group consisting of potassiumsilicate, sodium silicate, and a mixture thereof.
 10. The method forusing the plant nutrient composition of claim 1, comprising a step of:applying the plant nutrient composition of claim 1 as a topdressing. 11.The method for using the plant nutrient composition of claim 1,comprising a step of: applying the plant nutrient composition of claim 1as a basal application.
 12. The method for using the plant nutrientcomposition of claim 2, comprising a step of: applying the plantnutrient composition of claim 2 as a topdressing.
 13. The method forusing the plant nutrient composition of claim 2, comprising a step of:applying the plant nutrient composition of claim 2 as a basalapplication.
 14. The plant nutrient composition as claimed in claim 3,wherein the alkali metal silicate is selected from the group consistingof potassium silicate, sodium silicate, and a mixture thereof.